The selectors dared to leave out Sanath Jayasuriya for the first
time in a decade. This was done on grounds of poor form and fitness - his
dislocated right shoulder was slow to heal.

After losing the one-day international series 6-1, the team
briefly went home before returning for the Test series. Coach Tom Moody said
his team's cricket was nowhere near the standards they were capable of in any
department of the game.

Time
between selection for one-day squad and departure from Sri Lanka:

6 days

(14
- 20 October)

Travel

ColomboQChennaiQ Mumbai (20 Oct)/ Bangalore
(23 Nov)

The team
had practice at the R Premadasa Stadium before assembling for the tour.

They
left Colombo for
Mumbai on Thursday 20 October, landed at Chennai's airport on Thursday
afternoon and spent three hours in the Kamaraj domestic terminal before
boarding the evening flight to Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport arriving
at Mumbai at 9:55 pm on October 20 via Chennai.

The team finished the first leg of their split tour of India after the seventh one-day match at Baroda (12 November)
and returned home before flying off again for the second leg on 23 November.

The15-member Test team, accompanied by its
support staff, arrived in Chennai from Colombo
on Wednesday evening 23 Nov for the three Test match series, and flew on to Bangalore.

Time
spent in India

54 days

(20
October - 23 December, less 13-23 November )

On-tour selection panel

-

Reinforcements (1)

J
Mubarak

CCC

24

LHB

ODI

Jehan Mubarak was chosen by the national
selectors on Tuesdayc 30 November to
replace Chamara Kapugedara , who
withdrew on 29 Nov 2005 with a lateral ligament sprain on his right knee
suffered during a training session in Bangalore.

Chamara Kapugedera was the first Dharmaraja cricketer
to be selected for the Test squad (before him T.B. Kehelgamuwa was selected
for the Ceylon
side before Test status was awarded) but he was ruled out without playing a
match after suffering the sprain. As the injury would take at least two weeks
to heal, the management decided to send him home and summon Mubarak.